


The Place

by MakeYourParadise



Category: Rhett & Link
Genre: Angst, Fluff, How Do I Tag, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Starts when they're kids, a little internalized homophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:47:24
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23974732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MakeYourParadise/pseuds/MakeYourParadise
Summary: When they're kids, Rhett and Link agree to meet at a certain spot by the river every 3 years. It becomes more complicated than they intended it to.
Relationships: Rhett McLaughlin/Link Neal
Comments: 3
Kudos: 21





	1. Chapter 1

It had started as a game, as most things are for a seven-year-old. Link and Rhett had been best friends for about a year when they found The Place by the river.

There was nothing really special about it. It was just a shallow bed of pebbles and dirt. They were drawn to how it stuck out against the knee-high grass surrounding it.

“Cool,” Rhett had muttered, which had been the highest praise he could offer with his vocabulary. Link had just nodded in agreement.

The Place was one of those things that just seemed to always be. Rhett and Link couldn’t really imagine it having an origin or an ending, it simply existed. While it contrasted with the nearby surroundings, it didn’t seem to defy nature, nor did it seem purposeful.

It was like a million happy little accidents happened that brought The Place into being, but The Place was always meant to be there.

Of course, Rhett and Link weren’t concerned with the philosophical reason for why The Place existed when they stumbled upon it.

“I bet it’s from cavemen lighting fires, and the grass could never grow here again,” Rhett announced, toeing at one of the pebbles.

“No way,” Link countered, shaking his head, “I bet it used to be a dinosaur foot print.”

They might’ve been children, but they still somehow knew that The Place could be something special. If they were asked, Rhett and Link wouldn’t be able to recall exactly how they came up with the agreement. However, they were fairly certain that Rhett had initiated the idea to meet back there every three years.

“Three years? That’s forever!” Link had exclaimed, “There’s no way we can do that.”

Rhett had rolled his eyes.

“It’s gotta be three years. If we meet here all the time, then it won’t be special,” Rhett insisted.

Link had pursed his lips, then nodded once in agreement.

“Fine. What time?” Link had asked.

“Sunset.” Rhett had confidently replied, extending his hand.

Link shook it.

It could’ve easily ended there. Another agreement made between two children that would never be remembered. Just a little game.

But, upon returning to their respective homes that evening, Rhett and Link were both compelled to write down the date and location of their next meeting ( _August 3, 1988 at The Place)_. Both boys placed the note somewhere where they would see it. Link hung it up on his wall, while Rhett placed it in the top drawer of his dresser.

As the weeks passed by, Rhett and Link agreed on some more information about The Place.  
“If we’re ever in a lotta trouble,” Rhett had stated in a hushed whisper in the cafeteria, “we can meet at The Place.”

Both boys nodded emphatically, as if they had no doubt in their minds that they would run into serious trouble.

“Ooh, and we _can’t_ talk about The Place unless we’re in it. We can’t remind each other about the three years,” Link added, his knee bobbing up and down emphatically.

“Yeah, that’s good,” Rhett had said, thoughtfully slurping down another spoon of applesauce.

Weeks turned into months and the boys stayed true to their word. They didn’t talk about The Place. They went about their days, going to school and playing and making jokes. They both probably would’ve forgotten about The Place if they didn’t come home and see their notes every day.

Birthdays came and went, and the boys turned 8. Second grade ended, and it was difficult to tell who was more relieved.

Summer was hot and lazy, and it was perfect. There was hardly a day that the boys didn’t spend time together. The whole town knew by now, that where a blonde, curly haired boy was found, the chicken-legged black-haired boy wouldn’t be far behind.

Summer was when the boys thrived. They liked the freedom to commandeer their days. Bike rides turned into eating ice cream, or traipsing through the woods turned into Marco Polo. They weren’t stifled into sitting at desks and following rules. Rhett and Link enjoyed being creative and unhinged, that much was for certain.

They played off each other’s energy, always upping the ante, always challenging each other. Walking on the sidewalk became a game of who could jump the furthest. Hardly any trees were left unclimbed, nor any stone unturned.

Some days ended with them mad at each other, due to one of them playing unfair or being a sore loser. Other days, they pleaded with their parents to let them have a sleepover, so that the fun wouldn’t stop. They didn’t know it yet, but that summer truly marked when Rhett and Link became inseparable.

It was mid-July, when summer was at it’s peak and the boys felt like they were on top of the world, when they were dipping their feet in the creek while tossing pebbles as far as they could.

Rhett got bored first, and, of course, his first instinct was to splash the creek water onto Link’s shirt.

“Rhett!” Link yelped, pulling his feet out of the water. Rhett’s laughter echoed off the nearby trees. Link pinched his shirt and held it out, trying to not let the cold fabric touch his skin.

Rhett reached his hand back into the creek for another round, but Link was quick to grab it, his shirt forgotten in favor of not receiving another onslaught of cold water.

“Don’t!” Link warned, holding firmly onto Rhett’s hand.

Rhett’s laughter faded out as he stared at their intertwined hands under the water. It almost seemed not real, like he could pretend they were someone else’s hands, or it was just a nebulous mirage. But he could feel Link’s fingers flexing against his own. It was warm. And kind of nice.

They went silent as they realized that neither of them was moving their hands away. That neither of them _wanted_ to.

Rhett blinked at the water, and he heard Link swallow beside him. It was when they turned to look at each other that they both finally jerked away, as if they’d been burnt. They both ignored how empty their hands suddenly felt and scrambled to their feet.

“Boys don’t hold hands,” Rhett blurted, which was the only coherent thought he had in that moment.

Link nodded vehemently. “Yeah. We don’t—let’s not do that again.”

They agreed, and turned away from the creek, keeping over a foot of space between them on their walk home.

That night, Rhett and Link cradled their hands to their chests, wondering why it felt so strange. Or if there was something wrong with them for wanting to do it again.


	2. Chapter 2

The rest of the summer passed without incident, and much to their chagrin, school started up again.

Third grade wasn’t much better than second. At least they were older now. They could scoff at Kindergartners and first-graders.

Still, they were restless at the beginning of the school year. They had pent-up summer energy with nowhere to put it. In the first couple months, it wasn’t uncommon for Rhett and Link to be chastised by the teacher. They weren’t troublemakers by any means. They were sweet boys by nature, and the teachers knew they were. That’s why they were never in any real trouble at school.

People around them just seemed to learn that Rhett and Link had the best intentions, but put them together and they were bound to create a small amount of chaos.

But the duo’s knack for getting into trouble was only one facet of their relationship. It turned out that Rhett and Link were an unstoppable team, no matter the subject. Any time the two were partnered together in PE, they triumphed. They were relentless doing math puzzles in class, no other pair came close to their time. It got to the point where they started having to be paired with different people, since the other students would stop trying once it was seen that Rhett and Link were on the same team.

Rhett and Link didn’t mind, though. Whatever time they couldn’t spend together in class, they made up for it outside of class. One would think growing up in a small town would mean running out of things to do, but for Rhett and Link, it was a challenge to go out and come up with new, creative activities. And if there was one thing they loved, it was a challenge. The only times they couldn’t meet after school was when they were in trouble for something they had done the previous day (jumping straight into mud weeks after getting new shoes was not one of their best ideas, to be fair).

Rhett’s birthday came and went, and he was sure to boast about how he was older than Link. Link had just playfully smeared icing on Rhett’s arm.

Rhett’s birthday always marked the tipping point between fall and winter. As it got chillier, their playtime activities became confined to the indoors.

It was amazing that their mothers didn’t lose their minds. Even though they were inside, Rhett and Link sure acted like they were still outside. Staircases and attics became their new playgrounds. They had learned fast to stay out of the kitchen, or risk the wrath of a wooden spoon on the back of their hands.

Christmas break offered little reprieve. Yes, they didn’t have to go to school for another couple of weeks, but they had exhausted their indoor activities. Board games were used and reused to the point that Rhett and Link started making up their own rules because they were so bored of the original ones. Hide and seek didn’t really work anymore because they knew exactly where the other would hide.

In the evenings, their mothers would manage to wrangle them up, and get them to sit down next to the fire and watch TV. All too often, they would fall asleep leaning on each other under a single blanket.

Their mothers would say they had worn themselves out. But Rhett and Link knew that it was because there was something comforting about laying next to each other. They would never say so, of course.

Christmas was a blur of unwrapping presents and eating food. Rhett got a new bike from his parents, and Link received a hodgepodge of gifts from relatives ranging from socks to a set of shiny Star Wars action figures.

They had gotten presents for each other, but they had to wait until after dinner to meet. By the time the last spoonful was consumed in the McLaughlin household, Rhett’s legs were bouncing up and down in anticipation.

“Okay,” Mama Di had sighed, “you can go, Rhett.”

Rhett’s legs had been no more than a blur on his new bicycle as he pedaled to Link’s house. When he got there, he found Link with his hair slicked into place and had to try not to laugh. Despite this, Link still grinned when he saw him.

Rhett couldn’t explain why his stomach twisted in anticipation while Link’s nimble fingers tore open the packaging of his gift. He tried to seem nonchalant, but his need to play with his fingers gave him away. Finally, Link opened the box.

It was a necklace. Or, more accurately, an adjustable thread, with a single pebble attached to it. Rhett watched Link examine it, and take in the blue-green sheen that it had. His throat was dry, but he felt the need to fill the silence anyways.

“It’s—uh, I found that pebble at…you know,” Rhett said, almost slipping up. Luckily, Link seemed to understand that it was from The Place. “I asked my dad to drill a hole in it. I mean, if you don’t like—”

Link’s thin arms wrapped around Rhett’s torso, surprising Rhett. As soon as he realized it was happening, it was over.

“I like it,” Link said, grinning. He pulled the necklace on, and the second it settled around Link’s neck, it had the same quality as The Place. It hadn’t always been there, but it looked like it was always meant to be.

Rhett’s eyes lingered on the stone, sitting on Link’s sternum, and he almost missed when Link started talking.

“I got you something, too,” Link said, somewhat subdued.

Link turned to run up the stairs, and Rhett took that as a silent cue to follow him. By the time Rhett reached Link’s room, Link was already holding a little box wrapped in reflective green paper.

Rhett took the box and began unwrapping it. He saw Link twist the toes of his shoes in the carpet, and he was relieved that he wasn’t the only one who got nervous about giving a present.

It was a simple bracelet, made from what looked like fibers woven together. It was obviously homemade, but it wasn’t crude. It had a quiet elegance, a testament to the hours that went into it.

“My mom’s been doin’ basket weaving and stuff,” Link said, scratching at his neck, “and sometimes she can make ‘em out of twigs and grass. I asked her if she could do a bracelet.”

There was a small latch on the end of the bracelet, and Rhett immediately felt the need to have it on his wrist.

“I…um, I got some grass and sticks from the creek,” Link continued, as Rhett struggled with the clasp, “The one where we….”

_Held hands_

“Play at all the time,” Link finished, blushing, right as Rhett managed to click the bracelet together.

Rhett was secretly glad that Link wanted him to remember the creek. That he wasn’t the only one that couldn’t brush off that experience like it had never happened.

“It’s great,” Rhett said, earnestly. Link let out a breath, breaking into a wide smile.

“Really?” Link asked, his eyes bright. Much brighter than any of the lights strung around the house.

“Yeah, really. I’ll wear it all the time,” Rhett promised, a small smile of his own sneaking onto his face.

“Oh, yeah, about that, my mom told me to tell you to try not to get it wet,” Link said, “so no showering with it on.”

Rhett immediately hated the idea of ever taking the bracelet off, but he hated the idea of destroying it even more. So, he nodded and ran his finger across the braided design. Little did he know, that would become his nervous tick for the next several years.

Rhett eyed Link’s necklace again, and before he really knew what he was doing, his braceleted hand reached up to touch the stone. Link gasped at the sudden movement, but didn’t pull away. Rhett held the stone in his hand, palm open, so that it just barely touched the bracelet.

“Looks good,” Rhett managed. His throat had gone all weird for some reason.

“Yeah,” Link acknowledged, looking down at the pair. Rhett could feel Link’s breath on his hand.

Rhett pulled his hand away, feeling flustered. Why did he feel so _weird?_ Like he’d catch on fire if he had left his hand there a second longer?

Link, however, seemed unfazed.

“Do you wanna go test out the stuff I got for Christmas?” He asked, animatedly. Rhett shook off… _whatever_ he was feeling, and nodded, immediately caught up in Link’s energy.

Link’s mom found them with a blanket wrapped around their shoulders, asleep with the action figures still in their hands. She managed to rouse them and usher them into a real bed. Rhett, with heavy eyes, curled up on one side, allowing his thumb to rest on the bracelet. He immediately fell asleep again.

Link lay awake for a couple minutes, rubbing small circles into the pebble with his thumb and forefinger. He drifted off clutching it to his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a good chunk of this fic written, but definitely not in any sort of order. I will try to update this somewhat regularly, if writers block allows :) I would love to hear any thoughts!  
> I also have a Tumblr if you'd like to share your thoughts there: @MakeYourParadise


End file.
